Objective
There is currently no consumer priced solution to the requirement for a thin flat display for television and other high information content displays. This project will develop and prove the characteristics of unique printable field emission materials, cathode structures and getters for low cost colour field emission displays. It will develop the technologies as far as a 6-inch diagonal section of a 40-inch colour television display. This will show the potential of the technology to scale to consumer priced 20 to 40 inch diagonal thin flat displays for TV.
Objectives:
The overall objective of this project is to develop and characterise novel materials and structures to realise a low-cost thin flat display based on field emission technology. In particular:
- The printed emitter technology will be developed to achieve the required emission uniformity;
- The cathode structures will be developed to ensure sufficient electron optical focusing;
- A distributed getter system will be developed to keep residual gas fluxes at acceptable levels across the display;
- A colour 6 inch section of a 40 inch TV display will be developed in order to show that the technology can be scaled to larger sizes.
Work description:
Phase 1 of the programme will assess the current generation cathodes by:
- Construction of sealed off test pieces using current generation cathodes;
- Characterisation of existing emitting layers and gate controlled structures to determine which properties require development. In particular results will be shown for uniformity of emission, emission current, stability, life and emission angle (which will determine whether a focus grid is required);
- Measurement of out gassing of cathode structure to determine requirements for getter development;
Phase 2 of the programme will develop the low cost cathode structure to a pixel size compatible with 40" displays and start to develop a getter that can be distributed within the display. In particular the following will be achieved:
- Sub-pixel pitch of 0.35mm;
- Adequate short range uniformity;
- Brightness >500cd/m2 (white);
- Incorporation of focus grid if required;
- Incorporation of resistive ballast layer if required;
- First distributed getters incorporated into 32x32 pixel test piece;
Phase 3 of the programme will develop the 0.35mm sub-pixel structure from a small 32x32 device to a colour 6-inch diagonal device. In particular the following will be achieved:
- Development of cathode from 32x32 to 6 inch diagonal;
- Development and integration of colour anode, spacers, distributed getter and cathode into a 6 inch device. A User Advisory Group will be set up and regular technology and commercial benchmarking against competing flat panel technologies will be carried out to ensure the programme is industry relevant and customer focussed, and that potential users have early sight of and involvement in the technology.
Milestones:
The technology will be reviewed at the end of each phase to ensure that it will meet the objectives. The final output of the project will be a colour 6-inch section of a 40-inch TV display. The technology will be exploited by the industrial partners and by European manufacturers of displays. Major benefits include consumer priced thin flat TV displays and increased employment as well as environmental benefits.
Fields of science
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
75752 PARIS CEDEX 15
France